HOUSTON – Members of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) gathered at Houston Marriott North on July 21 to recognize 2017 Safety Training Evaluation Process (STEP) Award recipients. The STEP Program is a safety benchmarking and improvement tool that helps companies achieve higher safety metrics. Studies show that STEP participants are 720 percent safer than the industry average and reduced their recordable incidents by 87 percent. This self-evaluating program offers an organized approach for analyzing and developing safety and loss prevention programs. Both large and small contractors alike can use the STEP program to improve the safety on jobsites and protect their workers.

“Subcontractors act differently when it comes to companies recognized by STEP compared to those who are not,” said Scott Oliver of Diamond STEP Winner DE Harvey Builders, Inc. “At job sites of STEP awarded companies, subcontractors recognize that these companies have a strong safety culture and they expect a certain level of safety.”

Ralph Riley, with S&B Engineers and Constructors, Ltd., another Diamond recipient, says STEP beneficiaries make sure their employees enter and leave work healthy. “As a STEP participant for more than twenty years, the goal of improving safety on the job site goes hand in hand with the company’s mission. At S&B, we believe that accidents are preventable as long as good systems and processes are in place. STEP is an ideal program to put those processes in effect.” Additionally, a company can further improve its knowledge of safety and the industry as a whole through ABC’s Safety Committee.

To apply for the program, Riley advises that it is necessary to be completely honest while completing the self-evaluation forms. Oliver recommends to give a copy of the evaluation form to two employees from lower, middle, and upper management. This could include foremen, project managers, and superintendents who can evaluate safety from all levels. Occasionally, there are gaps between each level’s perception of safety on the jobsite, and it is the company’s responsibility to take the next step in order to fix those disparities.

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Lauren is the Marketing Communications Specialist at Associated Builders and Contractors Greater of Greater Houston, a full-service trade association representing owners, general contractors, subcontractors, associates, and suppliers. Additionally, Lauren is the Associate Editor of Build Houston Magazine and writes content for both the magazine and ABC Greater Houston. She also manages all digital media for ABC Greater Houston and its affiliate Construction and Maintenance Education Foundation (CMEF), markets and maintains the Build Houston website, and manages the ABC Houston mobile app.